I am not a fan of boxing, wrestling and all those games that involve hitting, fighting and getting others to go through physical pain. I can hardly stand watching another person being beaten for a title. For me, it is hard. Yet for another person, these sort of games could be their favourite. Watching as fighters conquer each other and lifting up the trophy is therapeutic for some people. The essence of boxing, wrestling and all these fights are motivated by one thing: the winner’s title. In some cases, you see blood on fighters, some get fractures, others are paralyzed, some die on the spot and yet more of such games are invented each day. Why do people delight in seeing others in pain? I believe the winner and loser mentality is so much part of our lives that even in activities that do not involve fights, people still strive to become the best out of many. We tend to develop a fighter mentality with the aim to conquer everything and everyone.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)
Our Christian journey is alluded to as a battle in many instances in the New Testament. Believers face discrimination, persecution, pain, and many other atrocities because of their faith. In some cultures and families, coming to Christ is a recipe to be ostracized. Other people also met their death just because of their faith. The average believer in an unbelieving territory has to navigate through several hurdles each day. Paul experienced in full force these sorts of persecutions. Yet, in Romans 8:35, he asked a profound question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” In all his many battles, Paul was certain that nothing is worth separating us from the love of Christ. Like the boxer or the wrestler contending for a title, Paul states that our faith is worth standing for even if it costs us our lives. To Paul, irrespective of what we go through, we are more than conquerors. Romans 8:37 states that “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” How is that even possible?
Paul explains in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In other words, nothing is worth the love of God that we have been shown through Christ Jesus. So even in persecution, we are more than conquerors, even when we are discriminated against, we are more than conquerors. When people revile us and call us all sorts of names, still we are more than conquerors. When persecution leads to even death, the believer is still more than a conqueror. Even though we are in a battle, the end has already been determined. We are more than conquerors! Therefore, do not let anyone’s perception of your faith build in you a loser’s mentality.
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